Lifestyle of young people as an indicator of reproduction of the middle class in a region

On the basis of sociological analysis, the paper examines the tendencies in formation of the middle class in Russian society. The main factors contributing to/hindering the change in the size of the middle class in the Russian regions (particularly in the Republic of Mordovia) were identified. The paper reveals the potential of the youth with higher education for the establishment of a class of professionals, formation of a new system of values and attitudes that meet the requirements of the market economy, knowledge society and innovative production.